In these realities, the main character was Jarri, who led a quiet life of a “dinoboy”, leading a herd of ceratopsians from place to place. Until an accident involving a weather truck accidentally kills all the pets. The protagonist swears revenge on the Network that controls the lives of its inhabitants. This seemingly small incident eventually leads to a great revolution. However, the rebellion results not only in a change of power – powerful machines drawing water from under the ground break and cause a cataclysm. Powerful waves flood everything, destroying sky cities.
Revolution
Vincent Perriot has produced quite an intriguing critique of revolutionary movements. At the same time, he avoided the cliché of “the revolution devours its own children.” Instead, he showed the consequences of a coup that had no legitimacy among the people. The scene in which the Network cuts off the residents’ water and demands the surrender of the leader of the rebels is significant here. This does not cause protests, practically everyone immediately throws themselves at their former prophet. Nevertheless, a coup d’état takes place, but at the cost of leading to a cataclysm and the death of thousands of people who led a relatively peaceful life.
Dinopocalypse
The last word only intensifies this negative image of the revolution, because it shows that the deluge covers the entire planet. It all started with the death of a herd of dinosaurs, and finally there is an extinction comparable to that which took place during the biblical flood. Fortunately, Perriot didn’t cut corners and his story doesn’t smell like Noah. Suffice it to say that at some point the remnants of humanity board ships, but there is no saving of other species here. Even (with some minor exceptions) poor dinosaurs.
The second volume of Negalyoda became more allegorical. Many elements here resemble more a myth than a regular adventure story. In The Last Word , the plot can jump many years ahead, which makes the narrative jerky. At some point, the story no longer focuses on Jarri, but on his daughters. Much more mysticism here. A prophetic book plays an important role, leading to a highly metaphorical conclusion. The ending is definitely a surprise here, because it does not give simple answers.
And who says
I have no idea if there will be a third volume. The ending itself, in a way, makes it possible, although the main plot is finished. Nevertheless, it is hard not to notice that the screenwriter introduced several mysterious elements into the dilogy, which ultimately neither played a major role nor found any justification. For example, the ability to talk to dinosaurs, which appears episodically in the second game (because after the flood there is no one to talk to) and does not have any interesting impact on the plot. So why this item?
In The Last Word , there is human gold, an element without which the first part did very well. Although the Network appeared in the original, it was impersonal and thus showed the conflict between the individual and the system. In the second, the theme of the protagonist-antagonist conflict is unfortunately weak – because the villain is generic and ultimately does not play any significant role.
I’m blue
What remains good invariably is the graphic layer. Perriot can create amazing images, reminiscent of the achievements of Moebius. It is worth mentioning that the circumstances of nature in the second part are completely different. If someone loved the sands of the desert, full of ruined elements of the old world, then here … they will not get it. As I mentioned, the Deluge dominates here, so just as the first one was Mad Max, the second one is Water World . And although it is a completely different element, it is just as great. Especially that water in the comic is not a flute, but a monstrous force that brings destruction. Fans of Roland Emmerich’s films should feel at home with The Last Word .
I only feel sorry for the dinosaurs
I admit that I did not expect Negalyod to continue. One was a closed story with a rather intriguing message. The last word not only appeared two and a half years after its predecessor, but also took a different path – the narrative was stretched, less focused and saturated with metaphors. I was not always convinced of the new direction, but I still evaluate my adventure with this series very well. I’m not waiting for the next part, if there is one, but I won’t be sad if Perriot decides to continue the story.
